Brothers, They're Complicated
by Shiori07
Summary: Eren adores his brother, he really does, adoptive or not, but... sometimes, he can't help but doubt if Levi returns those feelings. Brothers!Eren&Levi. Ereri if you want it to be. Rated for language. Cover not mine!


A/N: Normally, I ship these two together as a couple, but for some reason after reading some other fanfiction, I thought Levi and Eren would make good brothers... Idk. I guess this can be seen as platonic-Ereri. Hope you like. They might seem a bit OOC at first, but they're young so whatever.

Disclaimer: I do not own SNK/AoT

* * *

When Eren started his new life, he didn't know what to think. To be more precise, he _couldn't_ think, his mind was too muddled up for him to have any room for coherent thought. All he was right then, was a six-year-old boy with absolutely nothing.

"Eren? Sweetheart?"

After a second, he slowly raised his head to look up, revealing his peculiar blue-green eyes. Normally, those eyes would have been wide and bright with enthusiasm. But now? Now, they were just two dull, dead orbs.

A woman with jet black hair and stormy gray eyes was trying to speak to him, her stoic husband right beside her. She was smiling gently. "Eren, do you remember us? We're the Ackermans."

Eren didn't move or respond in any way. He just stared, that dead look still prominent in his eyes.

Mrs. Ackerman gave a soft sigh and knelt down, going to the boy's eye-level in an attempt to make him feel more comfortable. "You'll be staying with us from now on, ok?"

Still no response.

"There's someone else I'd like you to meet. You see that boy in the corner over there?" She pointed, and Eren's gaze slowly slid to the form of a boy who looked like a miniature version of the woman in front of him. "That's my son, Levi. He's only a few years older than you, so I think you will get along nicely." There was a short pause. "Here, Levi, why don't you come and say hi to Eren?"

After a second, Levi got up from leaning against the wall and made his way over to the two of them. The six-year-old watched as the other boy made his approach, teal eyes staring blankly.

Finally, Levi came to stand next to his mother, giving a nod to the smaller boy.

Mrs. Ackerman gave a small smile. That was probably the best she was going to get out of them under the circumstances.

"Well, it's late and I'm sure you're tired. Levi, would you please take Eren's things and show him to his new room?"

"…Sure." Levi grabbed the small suitcase beside the brunet and walked away, pausing at the foot of the stairs for him.

It took a second, but Eren was eventually able to move his feet and follow Levi. He kept his gaze on the raven-haired boy from behind as they climbed the stairs, step-by-step, even after they had stopped just inside a small room with plain furnishings, and an empty air, as if it had been that way for years.

Setting the meek suitcase just within the room, Levi stood in the doorframe with Eren still watching him.

"This is your room. The bathroom is at the end of the hall to the left. I'm across the hall and my parents are next door."

After that, a small, awkward silence ensued, in which Levi felt a bit unnerved by the empty eyes staring into him. Eventually, he turned and went across the hall into his room, leaving Eren alone.

* * *

Eren awoke to the darkness of the night, trembling. He shivered, feeling uncomfortable and out of place in the room that had come to be his, yet not his at the same time. It felt foreign, wrong, like he wasn't supposed to be there.

But of course he wasn't.

Still trembling, the little boy peeled back the covers, dismay filling him when he came to find that he had wet himself in his sleep. Silently, he got out of bed, making his way to the door. He planned to do something, get help maybe, but once he was out in the wooden planked hallway, he wasn't sure where to go. This was a strange place, a strange house. Where was he supposed to go? He just stood there in indecision, not knowing where to turn. He didn't want to bother anybody but…

Hesitantly, Eren made his way next door to the master bedroom. He had just placed his hand on the doorknob when a door creaked open behind him.

"Eren?" Levi blinked, confusion written plainly on his face as the little boy turned to face him. "What are you doing up this late? And why are your pants…" he trailed off, the realization hitting him.

Walking swiftly yet silently across the floor, Levi went into Eren's room and flicked the lights on. Looking at the bed, he saw the dark, still-damp stain on the sheets.

Annoyed, Levi rounded, saying "Eren, you…" but stopped himself when he met that empty gaze right at his elbow. The irritation ebbed away, and Levi gave a tired sigh. "Go to the bathroom. I'll be right there."

Eren just stood there for a moment, watching as Levi set to work stripping the bed of its sheets. Then, the young boy did as he was told, distinctly remembering what Levi had told him a few hours earlier. Once at his destination, Eren took a moment to observe the white tile floor and sky blue walls of the Ackerman's bathroom.

It seemed that that was the only thing Eren found himself capable of doing as of late: observing.

When Levi walked in a few minutes later, he found a naked Eren and a pile of damp clothes on the floor. He didn't say anything as he walked over to the bath and turned the water on. He kept his hand under the faucet until the temperature was warm enough before turning to look at Eren, only to jump in surprise when he found the younger boy right at his elbow.

"Christ, Eren! Don't do that!"

The boy just blinked in response, and Levi sighed as he stood. "You'll be fine if I leave you on your own, right?"

Eren continued to stare.

"…You don't know how to bathe yourself, do you?"

Eren gave a small shake of his head.

Levi gave another sigh. "Fine. I'll teach you." With a jerk of his head indicating the bathtub he said "Get in and pay attention."

Wordlessly, the younger boy climbed into the tub.

"Right." The older muttered before kneeling down. "First of all, you need to get under the water." As he said that, he pulled up the little switch that turned the shower on, causing warm water to cascade down onto Eren's dark brown locks. The boy gave a small jump, surprised by the sudden sensation of being rained on.

Levi blinked as he waited until Eren's hair looked pretty soaked before he picked up a shampoo bottle and squirted a bit of the substance into his hand. "Now you soap yourself, but when you do, only get this much. You don't want extra soap and bubbles everywhere," he explained as he began to lather the soap into Eren's hair. "Same thing when you do your body. And make sure not to get it into your eyes. It'll sting."

Upon hearing that, Eren immediately shut his eyes, feeling Levi's hands massage his scalp and eventually rub more soap onto his skin. Eren had to admit, this was kind of relaxing, feeling the warmth of the water and the soothing movement of Levi's hands in his hair. It made him remember the times when—

 _No!_ He _could not_ think about that right now.

After Levi had finished, he positioned Eren back under the water so that it washed all the soap away as he massaged it out of Eren's hair.

Once the water had turned off, Levi reached behind him and grabbed a fresh towel from the counter. He draped it over Eren saying "Make sure you dry off in there before you come out" before leaving.

Eren nodded under the towel and began to pat himself down. Before long, he had dried and was moving out of the bathroom, keeping his towel around his shoulders. He went to his room and saw that Levi had made the bed. Hanging his towel on the doorknob, Eren went over to his dresser and took clothes out to wear.

A few minutes later, Levi was returning from the laundry room when he caught sight of Eren through the doorway.

"Eren?"

The smaller boy turned to look at him.

"…You put your shirt on backwards." Levi deadpanned, catching sight of the tag just under Eren's chin. In a few short seconds, he was in front of the younger boy. "Tags are on the inside, in the back," he explained once he had pulled Eren's shirt over his head to make him wear it properly. Once all that was over, Levi stepped back and gestured towards the bed against the wall. "Go to sleep. It's late."

He watched Eren for a minute, expecting him to follow orders, but instead he just stood there, staring blankly over at the bed.

"Eren?"

The boy simply looked at Levi, his gaze as dull as ever, before quietly making his way to Levi's side and grabbing the hem of his shirt.

The older blinked. "What? Do you not want to sleep?"

Eren didn't answer, and it took a while for the truth to dawn on Levi.

"Do you not want to sleep _here?"_

Eren shook his head. He wouldn't voice it aloud, but this room felt too empty, too lonely.

"…Fine. Come on." As Eren heard those words, he could feel Levi's hand taking his and leading him across the hall. They entered Levi's room, and Eren instantly liked it better. It just felt like it was _lived in._

After reaching the bed, the two of them took a few minutes to situate. In the end, they slept side-by-side, not touching each other, but close enough to feel each other's body heat.

It was silent as Eren watched Levi for a while, seemingly transfixed by him. Feeling the stare, Levi turned onto his side so that he faced the wall, and soon fell asleep.

It took Eren much longer to doze off, but when he did, he was staring at the ceiling, watching as the fan spun in circles.

* * *

When visitors or relatives came over, Eren took to hiding behind Levi every time, without fail.

His little hands gripped the back of Levi's shirt tightly as he peeked around him to take in the newcomers. The adults had gone to talking as usual, right after introducing everyone, so now was the time when the kids started their own awkward little conversation.

A girl about Eren's age stood in front of them now. She was supposedly Levi's cousin, and it was easy to see the resemblance. They both had that dark, raven-colored hair and piercing, gray eyes. They even had the same slim build and sharp yet elegant bone structure in their faces. But most of all, they each had a signature glare that would have made the best of men shudder.

The girl looked at the two boys for a second, looking from her slightly taller cousin to the boy hiding behind him. She stared at him for a long moment, taking in his messy brown hair and curiously teal eyes that seemed to lack any emotion. Eren stared back, as if mimicking her.

Finally, the girl gave a slight bow. "Hello, Levi."

Levi gave an equally slight nod. "Mikasa."

Then, the girl turned back to the younger boy. "And you are Eren Jaeger?"

There was a small nod in response.

Then there was a small silence in which Levi could sense what his cousin was thinking.

"Mikasa." He said sternly, giving her a warning flash of his eyes.

The girl just blinked at him as silver met silver. Finally, Mikasa just turned back to Eren and bowed again. "Hello, Eren. I am Mikasa Ackerman, Levi's cousin." Here, she straightened up and with a slight smile on her face said "Welcome to our family."

* * *

Eren woke up in the middle of the night, panting heavily. Thankfully, he didn't have an accident this time, but he was too shaken up to go back to sleep. Once he had a nightmare, he couldn't seem to go back to sleep in this room.

A normal boy would have gone to his parents, but really, he didn't have those anymore. He _could_ go to Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman but…they just weren't the same. So, Eren went to the only safe place he knew: Levi.

As quietly as he could, the boy got out of bed and tiptoed across the hall to his brother's room. He knocked quietly, not wanting to wake the adults. Even though he was being extremely quiet, he knew that he would get Levi's attention. The older boy was a light sleeper, so even if Eren hadn't knocked, he would have somehow sensed that he was awake and in the hall anyway.

The door creaked open and the tired, slightly grouchy face of Levi appeared in the doorway. "Eren? What are you doing up? Did you wet the bed again?" he asked, trying not to let his irritation show for the younger's sake.

Eren took in a shaky breath, looking toward the ground to avoid eye-contact as he shook his head.

"Well what is it then?"

Tentatively, Eren lifted his face, looking up so that his eyes met his brother's in the semi-darkness. Levi was startled to find tears glistening in those blue-green orbs and spilling over to stream down Eren's cheeks.

"H-Hey. What's wrong?" Levi asked, feeling awkward yet concerned. He knew that he should be doing something, he just didn't know what. When Eren just stood there, crying silently, Levi resigned to take his arm and drag him into his room.

It was pitch black in there, so Eren allowed himself to be dragged and plopped onto the bed. A second later, a lamp switched on and Eren could see the room perfectly, with Levi sitting right in front of him. The two of them continued to sit there for a while, Levi waiting for Eren to calm down before interrogating him.

"What happened?" He finally asked. It's not like he expected Eren to answer, but it was worth a shot. When the younger remained silent, he continued. "Are you hurt?"

Eren briefly wondered if that was a trick question before he shook his head.

"…Was it a bad dream or something? Did you have a nightmare?"

After a moment of hesitation, Eren gave a small nod, not meeting his brother's gaze. He felt guilty, especially right now for bothering Levi, for burdening his family. He was just a kid, a stupid kid that wouldn't so much as say, 'please' or 'thank you' or 'hello'. The words just wouldn't come out. Eren often wondered why, but came to the same conclusion each time that he just didn't have the motivation. Not anymore.

Suddenly, Eren felt something warm against his front and around his neck. It was dark for a second, and he didn't immediately realize what it was, but when he registered that the darkness in front of him was hair, he knew that it was Levi.

"You've seen some pretty awful shit haven't you?" Levi mumbled softly.

Eren was stunned for a second, unsure of what to do, but when he focused on the warmth of Levi's body and how _welcome_ it felt, Eren slowly lifted his arms and returned the embrace.

* * *

Over the years, the boys have aged and grown in height, Eren especially. Levi had been slightly dismayed to come down for breakfast one morning and realize that Eren was an inch taller than him, but it had just made Eren smile, if only slightly, so Levi didn't pester him too much about it.

On this particular morning, it was Levi's first day of middle school. But today was a special day in more ways than one, and anyone but Eren had yet to know.

Today was a big day for him, and he would show them why.

Eren was woken up, per usual, by Levi, the one who always seemed to get up first even without an alarm clock. The younger boy sat up with a yawn and smiled at Levi, even when the older boy wrinkled his nose and ordered him to go brush his teeth because 'it smelled like week-old piss in there.'

Eren was far used to his brother's dirty mouth by now, even if he was still a bit young to have one. It was mostly their parents' fault, but even so, Levi only used it when there were no adults around, because if Mrs. Ackerman found out, there would be hell to pay.

The younger boy did as he was told and got ready for the day. When he was clean and dressed, he went down to the kitchen and was greeted by the wonderful smell of bacon and eggs.

"Good morning, Eren." Mrs. Ackerman said from the stove. "Your breakfast is on the table. Eat before it gets cold."

Sending a smile in her direction, Eren went over to the table and sat down next to his brother who seemed to have already finished his breakfast and was glancing at the morning paper. His eyebrows furrowed as he scanned each page, as if he were seriously looking for something. He probably was.

"Hm. Nothing interesting today." He muttered as he rustled the pages. When he finally set the paper down, he caught sight of Eren grinning at him between bites of breakfast. "What's so funny, brat?"

Eren didn't say anything, he just continued to smile as he ate more of his food.

Levi just smirked, ruffling Eren's hair as he stood up. "Anyway, I'm taking the bus, so I'll see you later, kid."

As Levi picked up his bag and headed toward the door, Eren choked on a bit of scrambled egg and scurried to finish up. A few seconds later, Levi felt a tug on his sleeve and turned in surprise to find Eren standing behind him.

"What is it?"

Eren looked to the ground for a minute, as if he were trying to come to a decision. He looked up, meeting Levi's steel gray eyes with his teal ones. He opened his mouth, closed it, swallowed, and opened it again.

"H-Have a good day…Nii-chan."

All movement stopped. The sounds outside, the commotion inside suddenly ceased, and all that seemed to exist just then, was Eren and Levi.

Levi's eyes widened as he stared at his brother, seeming at a loss for words.

Eren had actually spoken. Was he dreaming?

The younger boy was starting to feel embarrassed by Levi's shocked silence, so he looked away, his cheeks tinted red.

And then, he felt an affectionate hand ruffle his hair in that familiar fashion, and Eren looked up to meet Levi's eyes again. His brother had a smirk on his face, one that showed pride and a certain degree of happiness that reached his normally cold eyes.

Eren stared as Levi put his hand down and instead, placed it on the doorknob.

"Just 'Levi' is fine, brat." He said, before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Eren! Get up and get your shit together, we have school today!"

Eren groaned a long, drawn out 'no' as he took his pillow and put it over his head to block out the world around him.

The pillow was promptly yanked off his head and flung to the ground with an angry growl. "I swear, Eren, if you make us late I will personally neuter you."

Suddenly, Eren was sitting up, meeting the hostile glare of his brother.

Levi sighed. "Who knew that going through puberty would make you even more difficult…and ridiculously tall." He added as Eren stood up, a good four inches taller than him.

Eren rubbed the back of his head. "I can't help it, Levi."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now put some fucking clothes on, the bus leaves in half an hour and we both know that you just _love_ dragging your feet."

Eren muttered something just as Levi was in the doorframe.

"What did you say?" The older teen asked, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Realizing that he was treading through a minefield, Eren did his best to save himself. "Uh…I love you, Nii-chan?"

Levi raised an eyebrow, knowing that Eren knew not to call him that.

Eren saw the danger and immediately went to his dresser to find clothes to wear over the boxers he was currently sporting.

"Tch." Levi rolled his eyes before leaving the room completely to go downstairs.

With a relieved sigh, Eren pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before heading to the bathroom to perform his daily routine. When he finally came down the stairs, he was surprised to find Levi in the kitchen.

"Where's mom?"

"She had a business meeting or some shit like that. I don't know, I'm not her keeper." Levi glanced up and saw that Eren hadn't moved from the bottom of the stairs. "What the hell are you standing there for, Jaeger? Get your lazy ass over here."

Eren sighed and went to stand by Levi. "Good morning to you too, sunshine."

He received a flash of silver eyes in his direction. "You hang out with Mikasa too often." Before Eren could reply, a piece of toast was shoved into his mouth. "There's more if you want, but I suggest you hurry up. We have ten minutes."

Trying not to suffocate, Eren pulled the toast out of his mouth and swallowed what was already in there. "Why are you in such a hurry? It's not like you enjoy school or anything." Levi glared at him, but he continued. "Is it a girlfriend or something?"

Levi scoffed, as if that were ridiculous. "No. What the hell would I want a girlfriend for?"

"Hm." Eren responded thoughtfully, chewing more toast. Levi had made it just the way he liked it: toasted to perfection with the right amount of jelly.

"Boyfriend?" Hey, he wasn't prejudiced.

Levi gave him a half-lidded glare. "No."

Eren couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Then what?"

His brother didn't respond as he bustled around kitchen.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in going to school? Is it because you're a senior this year? Is there something interesting going on?"

Levi paused briefly at his younger brother's persistence to turn his glare on him, studying him briefly. Eren took advantage of the silence to smile brightly in an attempt to get his brother to talk.

"Something interesting… you could say that."

With a glance at the clock on the wall, Levi swiftly grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and hooked his arm through Eren's before heading for the door. The younger barely had time to snatch his own bag from the stairs before they were outside.

"Come on. The bus will be here any minute."

As the two of them walked toward the bus stop, Levi did his usual 'I'm fussing because I'm your older brother' routine.

"Do you have everything you need? Books, paper, pens?"

Eren sighed. "Yes, mother." He received a whack upside the head.

"What about lunch money? You have your wallet with you?"

"Um…" Eren reached into his pocket and slipped out his brown, leather wallet. Levi's scrutinizing gaze stared Eren down as he flipped it open. "I have two bucks and…fifty-three cents."

Levi sighed. Pulling out his own wallet (like Eren's but black), he took out a ten-dollar bill and slapped it into Eren's hand. "This is why you need a job."

"But I don't want one!" Eren whined.

"Well it's either that or do more chores because I will _not_ become broke for some brat."

Eren pouted just as the bus appeared down the street. "But don't you wuv yo wittle bwudder enough to become bwoke foe him?"

He received another smack upside the head.

Not long after, the bus was pulling up to the curbside. The door opened, and Eren was about to board along with the other kids at their stop when Levi's hand went to his shoulder to stop him. Teal eyes blinked in confusion as he was turned around to face his brother.

"Um, Levi?"

"If any of these punk-ass morons tries to screw with you, come find me."

Eren blinked again.

"Got it, kid?"

"Um, yeah. But, Levi, I can take care of my—"

"The bus is leaving." Levi interrupted, grabbing Eren's sleeve and pulling him through the doors before the driver could yell at them. Without a word, Levi continued to drag his brother until they were at the back.

"Levi! Eren!" A girl with strawberry-blonde hair greeted as the two sat down in the very back seat.

"Petra." Levi responded politely. He was sitting in the aisle, letting Eren have the window seat because he knew he liked it.

"You excited about high school, kid?" One of Levi's other friends, Erd, asked him.

"Um," Eren said, feeling like a little kid again as he shrank into Levi's shoulder. "Yeah."

"Well, don't be. It's hell." Aurou offered dully.

"Don't scare him!" Petra scolded. "It's not that bad. He's only in his freshman year anyway."

The two brothers watched in silence as Levi's friends continued to quarrel amongst themselves. Eren smiled a bit nervously, still hiding behind his shorter, older brother. He knew Levi's friends from the times they came over, and they were pretty chill. Eren liked them well enough. They didn't seem to mind him either. They were cool to hang out with and Eren liked the fact that he knew some people on his bus. If it were possible, he would have hung out with Armin and Mikasa too, but they weren't in this neighborhood.

As the bus rode along, Eren's eyes eventually slid to look at his brother. Levi seemed somehow different today. There was the ghost of a smirk on his face, and his stormy gray eyes seemed a bit brighter, like he was happy about something.

It took Eren until the time the bus stopped at the school to figure out what it was. They were disembarking, about to head toward the school, when Levi looked to Eren.

"Have fun in hell, brat."

Eren blinked. "Have a good day, Levi."

With a slight chuckle, Levi gave a passing wave as he turned to leave with his friends.

And that was when Eren knew, as he saw Armin and Mikasa wave to him across the lot, that Levi was happy simply because he could go to school with his little brother.

* * *

Eren waited by the locker, trying to have patience to some degree to prove to himself (and Levi) that he _was_ capable of being patient. It was hard though, and soon enough, Eren was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation.

"Eren, what exactly are you on?" A familiar voice asked from behind him. Swiftly, Eren turned and was met with the stormy gray eyes, raven undercut, and pale skin of his brother.

"Levi!"

The older teen just raised an eyebrow as he opened his locker. "What have I told you about drugs? I don't care if it gives you a rush or some shit excuse like that, it will only kill the few brain cells you have and, quite frankly, you can't afford that."

"I'm not doing drugs!" Eren protested. "I just want to go home."

"Yeah. Me too." Levi agreed as he slammed his locker shut. "If only my shitty car hadn't broken-down yesterday…Let's just get to the bus already."

As the two of them departed, Eren could hear and see people whispering behind their hands as they passed. The freshman felt awkward and exposed, so he went to stand closer to his companion. He knew that Levi could tell what those people were talking about by the way he shot them death glares. Eren knew too. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. This was a small school in a small town, who _wouldn't_ be talking about it?

" _Hey. What's up with them?"_

" _Yeah. Who's that new kid with Levi?"_

" _I hear that their brothers."_

" _Brothers? They don't look anything alike?"_

" _Not biologically, idiot. Their adoptive brothers. The younger one was adopted."_

" _Eren Jaeger? That name sounds familiar. "_

" _You know, he used to live in my neighborhood before he was adopted by the Ackermans."_

" _Really? You know what happened?"_

" _It was on the local news if I remember correctly."_

" _Yeah. It was just a small story though. Jaeger's family got into a car accident nine years ago. His parents died in the crash."_

" _Really? That's horrible!"_

" _No kidding. The Ackermans were friends of his parents, so they took him in."_

" _But he was young right? So he doesn't remember much of it."_

" _I hope not. The worst part of the whole thing was that the kid was in the car when it happened."_

* * *

Eren woke up that morning on his own. It was the beginning of the second semester of the school year. The weather outside was still cold and dark, a bit depressing in Eren's opinion. But it wasn't the dark skies or the chill in the air that he found so sad.

His parents' divorce was what was getting to him now. They had been married for just about twenty years, Eren being there for ten of said years, which was most of his life. He couldn't help but wonder how they had gotten so broken to the point where they needed divorce, Mr. Ackerman leaving his wife and kids to live with some woman that had apparently been his mistress for the past several years.

Eren didn't understand it.

But that wasn't what bothered him the most. No, what bothered him most wasn't that his adoptive parents, the ones who took him in after his original parents died in a car crash, had divorced or that it had happened because his father had had an affair. What bothered him most was Levi.

Ever since their parents had announced that they were getting a divorce, Levi seemed more withdrawn than usual, cutting himself off from everyone, even Eren.

Now, as Eren got up to get ready for the day, Levi didn't so much as step foot into his room or say 'good morning'. The most he did was grunt at the kitchen table when Eren attempted to greet him. They didn't even say anything to each other on the way to school, during, or after. Levi practically ignored Eren and everyone else, hanging around his friends in silence, half-heartedly agreeing to hang out after school.

When Eren caught wind of this, he decided to take advantage of the situation.

Immediately after school, Eren rushed out of class and got on the bus. Since Levi and his friends weren't there, he sat in the front by himself, anxiously awaiting when the bus would reach his stop.

When it finally did, he bolted through the door and ran down the street to his house. Once Eren had slammed the door behind him, his plopped his bag down by the stairs and set to work. 'Doing what?' one may ask. Chores.

Normally, he wouldn't be doing these things so enthusiastically—or at all, for that matter—but today, with Levi out of the house for a few extra hours, he wanted to surprise him. Usually Levi did the cleaning and the laundry and all that, especially after the divorce, but Eren thought it would be nice if all those things were done by the time Levi got home. It was a small, hardly-worth-mentioning gesture, but it was something, and Eren just wanted to do something nice for his brother in this difficult time. They may have the same parents, but the Ackermans were Levi's from the start. They were his biological parents, the ones he had known since birth. Eren could only imagine what Levi was going through right now.

And so, Eren spent the rest of his afternoon actually doing productive things and not performing his usual play-videogames-until-way-past-midnight routine. If his mom had been home, she probably would've asked if he was sick or if the sky was falling. If _Levi_ had been home and was his usual self, he probably would've asked something similar. Just with more profanity.

Around six, maybe seven, Eren turned off the vacuum cleaner and plopped down onto the couch. Now he remembered why he hated doing chores. His brain was fried. It felt like mindless work to him where the objective wasn't really all that important. Just like school. But videogames, videogames were far more interesting and important than those things. He could've been using this time to level up some more or finish some quests for rare items. _That_ would have been a better use of his time.

But, then again, he _did_ actually have a good reason for doing this worthless stuff. Levi thought it was important, so it was worth it to get it done for him. Hopefully the cleaning had reached Levi's standard of clean though, otherwise this would have been for nothing.

Suddenly, Eren realized just how tired he was at that point. Doing all this manual labor after he had just finished school for the day was exhausting. Not to mention that he had stayed up until four in the morning last night (videogames don't play themselves).

Yawning, the brunet laid down, curling up on the couch with his head on the armrest. Now that he thought about it, he should probably put the vacuum cleaner away, but he really was tired. Maybe just a quick nap first.

Feeling content, Eren drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Eren, I think you're overreacting."

"No, I'm not!" Said boy yelled to his blonde best friend. "I think he really hates me!"

"He doesn't hate you. He's just going through a lot right now."

"I know that." Eren muttered, kicking rocks across the parking lot in frustration. "But I still have my doubts."

"He at least still talks to you, right?" Armin asked from his seat on the school's front steps. "He did this morning."

"Yeah. But it was only after he glared at me like I was the scum of the earth."

That morning, Eren had woken up on the couch, trying to remember how he had gotten there and if he had had a blanket to begin with, when Levi came down the stairs, looked at him with those cold, steely gray eyes and said "Wipe that drool off your chin" before walking into the kitchen.

"He looks at everyone like that." Mikasa deadpanned, leaning against a column.

"But he's my _brother!_ We used to talk all the time and now he barely even _looks_ at me!" Another rock skittered across the concrete and under someone's truck.

"Right. So, when he finally feels like talking, the first one he'll talk to will probably be you." Armin reasoned, trying to reassure his friend.

"It's almost been two months!"

"So maybe he's almost ready."

Eren gave a loud groan. "I hope so." _Because I really miss him._

With a final kick, Eren sent another rock across the lot, only this time, he may have kicked it a little harder than he intended to. The little rock took flight, soaring through the air, until it hit the windshield of a blue van.

Freezing, Eren heard Armin gasp and say "Eren, that's Jean's car!" before a familiar voice yelled "My car!"

Rushing over from the front of the school building, a guy with two-toned hair put his hands to the sides of his head as he looked at the crack that had spider-webbed across the glass of the van his parents had recently given him. It was a bit old, but it was still a ride of his own.

"Who… _who the fuck threw that?!"_ Jean yelled, whirling around in an attempt to catch the perpetrator before they disappeared. It worked, because he just managed to see Eren turning away, casually picking up his bag to hide behind Mikasa and her pillar. "JAEGAR!"

Eren turned around, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Jean? Hey, what's up?"

Jean stomped over, ignoring Marco's attempts to calm him down. _"You cracked my windshield!"_

Blinking, Eren's teal eyes looked over Jean's shoulder at the van. "Wow. I did that? Are you sure?"

Suddenly, Jean was holding Eren up by the collar, looking absolutely furious. "Don't pull that dumb shit on me! I know it was you!"

"Calm down before you regret it." Mikasa cut in, moving into Jean's line of sight.

Said boy faltered slightly at the menacing look on her face, but still continued to say "He cracked my windshield! He is _so_ paying for the repairs! Do you know how long it took for me to get that car?!"

Eren couldn't help himself, his anger was bubbling up inside now that Jean was yelling and picking a fight with him. Again. "Stop being so petty, horse-face! It's just a car! What the fuck did I ever do to you to make you freak out over _everything?"_

Without warning, a fist slammed into Eren's head, and the next thing he knew, he was sprawled across the concrete, stars dancing in front of his eyes.

"I am so _sick_ of your shit, Jaeger! Why can't you just own up to anything and—" Before anyone could blink, someone walked right up to Jean and without breaking a stride, punched him hard in the jaw. Jean stumbled, falling against Marco in shock.

"Tch. Disgusting."

Eyes widening, Eren turned his head just in time to see Levi, taking out a handkerchief and wiping spit and a bit of blood from his knuckles. Once he had adequately cleaned himself off, Levi looked up to the gathered group of Eren and Jean's friends. "Don't have petty arguments in the middle of the school's damn parking lot. Deal with your shitty problems somewhere else."

Jean looked like he was about to cuss Levi out, but before he could, Marco and Thomas pulled him away, warning him to be quiet. Meanwhile, Mikasa and Armin were kneeled down beside Eren, Armin helping Eren up, and Mikasa worriedly checking Eren's head while swearing to beat the crap out of Jean later at the same time.

"Mika, I got him." Levi said, taking Eren's other arm and putting it around his shoulders. Mikasa looked reluctant, but she handed Eren over to be dragged to Levi's huge, gray truck that somehow didn't fit him. Size maybe?

Once Eren was sat down in the driver's seat, Levi put his hand to Eren's chin and turned it to look at the cut Eren was sporting just above his eyebrow. Feeling a headache coming on, Eren just sat quietly, watching as Levi got a water bottle from the backseat and put it to Eren's injury.

"Hold this."

Wordlessly, Eren did as he was told, the coolness soothing his throbbing pain.

"I don't understand, Eren. How the hell did you manage to make such a mess out of a cracked windshield? Just how many brain cells are you lacking?"

Wide, blue-green eyes blinked.

Irritated, Levi looked up, the first aid kit he kept in the backseat now in his hand. "What?"

"You… you're talking to me."

"No shit." Levi deadpanned. "Now start talking back."

"…Jean hates me. We get into fights like that all the time."

"Tch. Brats. Not even civilized enough to resolve conflict through words."

"But, you're the one who stepped in and punched Jean!" Eren exclaimed, his eyes bulging as he looked at his brother who was now removing the water bottle to disinfect the cut.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be friends or something? Hold still." He added as Eren flinched away.

"It's a weird love-hate relationship." Eren muttered quickly. "You've seen us before, but really, why did you step in?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just... you haven't even properly spoken to me since… you know, so I thought…"

Sighing, Levi put down the square of cotton with the disinfectant. "So what? You thought I hated you or something?"

"Uh. Maybe?"

Levi raised an eyebrow, and in that second Eren was scared for his life.

But then, he felt a familiar light slap on his head. "I just can't leave you to your own devices, can I? You just screw everything up."

Eren only stared as Levi continued to talk. "I don't hate you, Eren. After all this time, you should know that. It's just… mom and dad, you know? I mean, I don't mean to bitch because I don't have it as bad as you do—"

The brunet shook his head vigorously. "No, Levi, it's ok. A big part of your life is changing. It's actually not all that different."

Levi looked at him, his eyes softened ever-so-slightly. "Thanks, brat. Just… give me a while to come to terms with it, alright?"

Glad that this conversation was finally happening, Eren smiled and nodded. He really should just listen to his friends more often.

The raven smirked. "Great. Now don't move," he ordered, resuming his task of cleaning Eren's cut.

Eren yelped at the sting, but tried to stay still for his brother. He didn't want any more injuries inflicted upon him.

"In the meantime," Levi added as he bandaged Eren's head. "You should apologize to that horse-face. We both know that it _was_ you who broke his windshield."

"It was an accident." Eren muttered, looking down at the concrete.

"Yes, but what have I told you about kicking rocks around in a parking lot?"

"…To do it all the time? Ow!"

Levi hit his head again. "Damn brat. Just apologize and pay for it."

"Ok, ok, I will!" Eren whined.

"Then get your ass moving, Jaeger."

"Ok, just… one more thing."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

A small smile tugged at Eren's lips. "Did you punch Jean because he punched me first?"

The shorter teen crossed his arms. "And if I did?"

Eren was fully grinning by now. "Nothing." He answered, though it didn't sound like nothing to Levi. Suddenly, Eren threw his arms around his brother in a brief, tight hug. "I love you, Nii-chan!" he said quickly, knowing what Levi's reaction would be, before rushing off so Levi couldn't do anything about it.

"Tch. Damn brat," Levi muttered, irritated as he watched Eren sprint out of sight. When the brunet had gone, however, he couldn't hold back the smallest of smirks from playing across his lips.

* * *

A/N: So did you like it? Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts!


End file.
